This invention relates to a paneling member for the interior of automotive vehicles, especially a dashboard. The paneling member is provided with a covering that is foam-backed on its rear face with a semihard polyurethane foam. A rigidifying supporting element is embedded within the polyurethane foam body.
A dashboard of this type is discussed in the article "Die Karosserie des Porsche 924", page 7, special edition of ATZ [Automobile News], Nos. 2 and 3 of 1977. The dashboard shown in that article has a supporting member molded into a semihard polyurethane foam body, and the foam body is covered on the side facing the passenger compartment with a covering of vacuum-formed ABS sheet. For reasons of dimensional stability (i.e, to prevent visible dents from forming upon impact to the dashboard), the semihard polyurethane foam is required to be of a relatively hard grade. This is also necessary in order to be able to form the dashboard with pronounced contours which match the contours of the ABS or PVC covering sheet employed (e.g., in the region of the instruments).
A drawback to the use of a relatively hard grade of semihard polyurethane foam is that, in the event of unintended contacts with the lower zone of the dashboard (such as might occur upon entering the vehicle or in an accident), grave knee injuries can occur. Furthermore, the configuration described above restricts design possibilities since variations are limited to the use of differing colors and textures of the ABS or PVC covering sheet.
It is an object of this invention to provide a paneling member --especially a dashboard--for the interior of an automotive vehicle, having an upper region which is dimensionally stable and which can be formed with pronounced contours, and having a lower region which is provided with comfort-enhancing and injury-reducing properties.
This object is attained, according to the present invention, by forming the paneling member of at least two portions, each portion comprising a polyurethane foam body and covering. The foam bodies comprising the two portions have different weights per unit volume and different compressive strengths. The coverings for each of the foam bodies are preferably made of different materials. One portion of the member forms the upper region or zone, of the paneling member, while another portion forms the lower zone. The zones extend across the entire width of the member.
The covering for the upper portion (zone A) is preferably formed by deep-drawing a sheet-like material, such as ABS or PVC sheet. The covering of the lower portion (zone B) is formed from one of a variety of materials, including: a foam sheet, a synthetic leather-like material, such as vinyl; leather; imitation leather; and a textile fabric. The coverings for the two portions are joined at an upright wall in a recess of the paneling member. The joint is covered by a strip which fits into the recess.
The advantages achieved by means of this invention result from the fact that the paneling member has a regionally differing design, i.e., different coverings and polyurethane foam components with varying degrees of hardness are used. This design not only meets the requirements imposed by the manufacturing techniques and functional considerations, but also is an improvement with respect to stylistic design possibilities.
By using a relatively firm, semihard polyurethane foam body and a deep-drawn PVC or ABS covering sheet in the upper zone of the dashboard, the sharp-edged transitions (pronounced contours) in the area of the moldings for the instruments can be satisfactorily produced, and the foamed body returns to and retains its original shape following the application of pressure from a load or impact.
A relatively soft-grade, semihard polyurethane foam is used in the lower region of the dashboard whereby a dashboard resiliency is obtained which mitigates injuries. The covering for the lower region is made of foamed sheet, synthetic leather-like materials (such as vinyl, leather, imitation leather, textile fabric, or the like.
Moreover, the styling design possibilities are increased by the regionally differing structure of the paneling member since a variety of covering materials, with contrasting coloring in the various zones, can be employed.
Further objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description and accompanying drawings which show, for purposes of illustration only, an embodiment in accordance with the present invention.